A Case of Mistaken Identities
by savya398
Summary: Years ago a mistake was made. Now years later the consequences of that mistake are being brought into to light. A mistake that has the potential to destroy Harry's life as he knows it. His parents aren't who they thought they were, and he's left facing a truth about himself that leaves him uncertain about his future.
1. Prologue: Mistaken

**Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own the Avengers or Harry Potter.**

**This story came about as a way to fill a prompt by njchrispatrick. Where Thor and Loki are Harry's parents after Loki is banished to Earth in female form and Thor inadvertently stumbles across her. It is a very different premise than my other story A Lily by Any Other Name, and will go down a very different path.**

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**Prologue: Mistaken**

A beautiful young woman sat alone on a bench. The wind tossed her dark red hair around her pale face creating the impression of a halo of flames. The dark and overcast weather seemed to reflect her melancholy mood. As if to encourage her dark mood a bolt of lightning struck off in the distance to herald a coming storm. She had good reason for her dark disposition. Several unfortunate events had occurred within a very short period of time. She had broken it off with her boyfriend of just a year. The war in the wizarding world was escalating. Her parents had been causalities in the war. And finally she had gotten in a fight with her older sister who had placed the blame of their parent's deaths on her shoulders.

She felt alone in the world with nothing, and no one to cling to. She didn't even have anywhere to go. Her sister had turned her away, she had graduated from her boarding school, and again she wasn't moving in with her boyfriend like they had planned. All her life she had felt a sense of being different. Of just not belonging. When she discovered she was a witch she thought she had finally found her place in the world. Magic was everything to her. She spent massive amounts of time learning all that she could. But she still felt like something was missing almost like she was forgetting something. It nagged at her from the back of her mind yet she could never quite grasp it. She still felt like she didn't quite belong, and it wasn't just because of all the anti-muggleborn sentiment. This feeling was so much worse now that she was truly alone.

She'd had the dream again. A dream she always had when she was stressed or upset. In this dream she was someone else. A male someone. Someone who lived in a towering gold castle in a magical realm. Someone who was being punished and then cast out of the glittering, magical world. She never knew why she was being punished or who was punishing her. Unimaginable pain would wash through her after being sentenced. She would be twisted and shrunk into a new shape, and it never failed to make her wake up in a cold sweat. She never saw faces in her dreams. But the dreams were so real. They felt more like memories of a past life than a dream.

"Do you need some assistance, my lady?" questioned a deep voice.

Startled, Lily looked up.

/

Thor did not know what to make of Midgard. It was a very strange place. The people were tiny, and they rode many strange mechanical beasts. Their cities were loud and disorganized. And sadly there was not a feast to be eaten or a beast to slain anywhere in sight. Thor hadn't wanted to come to Midgard. He would much rather be off on an adventure fighting with his friends, Sif and the Warriors Three. Nevertheless, he had asked Heimdall to send him here without his father's permission. He had come here to prove a point. They had been drinking after a hunt, and somehow the topic of Midgard had come up. Volstagg bemoaned what a horrible place it was, and Thor had boasted that it couldn't really be all that bad. Somehow it ended with Fandral betting him that he could not last a fortnight on Midgard. Thor was nothing if not prideful, and he had promptly set out to prove him wrong.

Now that he was actually here he wished he had taken the time to think things through a bit more. Heimdall had thoughtfully provided him with mortal clothing and some of their currency to aid him. It was a start at least and it would only be for a fortnight. Surely Thor could survive and blend into this strange world's customs for that long. He was the Mighty Thor after all, wielder of Mjolnir.

A loud honking noise like that of an angry goose suddenly sounded. Thor looked to see one of the mortal's metal beasts beside him. An angry man sat inside and was making angry gestures with his hands. Thor frowned unable to understand his words with him inside the metal contraption. Confused Thor walked away. He needed to find lodgings for the night and a place to buy some sustenance. Oh how he wished his brother were here. But he was off on some task or other of his father's. He had not seen him in several years. It wasn't a long time in the life of an Asgardian but it was longer than Thor and Loki had ever been apart.

Just as he was beginning to feel truly lost, he caught sight of a young woman sitting on a bench. She was breathtakingly beautiful with fiery dark red hair, the likes of which he had never seen before. The woman looked as lost as he himself did. Thor decided to approach her. Perhaps together they would not feel so lost and they would be able to change both their bad days.

"Do you need some assistance, my lady?" he greeted.

She looked up, her beautiful emerald green eyes wide as she looked up at him. She was even lovelier up close.

"My lady?" she questioned quirking a brow and smirking.

"Of course, one as lovely as you could be nothing less," Thor said sincerely.

She laughed and glanced away, blushing. "You actually mean that. You're even cornier than Potter."

"I do not know any potters. But would you perhaps like to accompany me for a meal?" Thor asked. "This is my first time visiting this area, and would love to have someone familiar with the area show me around."

"I'm not really in the right mood. I'm afraid I wouldn't be good company," she said softly.

"I disagree. I myself am feeling quite homesick but I believe it would be helpful to make a new friend," Thor smiled giving her a hopeful look that never failed to work on his brother.

"Oh, all right. I guess it couldn't hurt. It's better than sitting on this bench until starts raining. Just stop with the puppy dog look, all right?"

Thor grinned and offered her his arm. "Let us find the nearest pub, and partake of some mead. Oh what is your name fair maiden?"

"Lily. Lily Evans."

"The Lovely Lily! I am very pleased to have met you. You have certainly brightened my day, and I will endeavor to do the same for you. I am Thor," Thor boomed.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Lily muttered under her breath.

/

But to her surprise Lily was soon proven wrong about Thor. Once she had gotten past his eccentricities she found he was quite a wonderful person. He was boisterous but kind. He reminded her a great deal of a golden retriever. Always happy and eager to please. But at the same time that seemingly gentle exterior hid a snarling beast that would bite those that were threatening the ones they cared for.

Thor and Lily spent the next two weeks together. They met regularly to take walks and share meals. Lily felt like she had known Thor her whole life, and Thor felt the same. She had never felt so comfortable with someone, and for a while that sense of being alone seemed to disappear. But Thor was only visiting for just two weeks and then he had to return home. He could not stay. No matter how much they had grown to care for one another. Thor did impart the truth about himself being of Asgard to Lily, and she returned the favor by telling him she was a witch. Thor and Lily made the most of their time together, and oh what a wonderful two weeks they had. Almost too wonderful for after Thor left Lily discovered that he had left something behind. Something that wouldn't come for another nine months.

Lily panicked. She feared what would happen if it was ever discovered that her child was the child of a god. A part of her wanted to run and hide but before she could, her ex-boyfriend came to check in on her. She confessed everything to him; he offered her a place to stay to help protect her child. Eventually their old romance rekindled and they got married. James gladly took her child as his own especially after hearing of who his father was. Wizards revered Asgardians and believed that their powers originated from them. James and Lily named him Harek James Potter. Harek was a name with Norse origins, the name of kings to honor his biological father. James was for his wonderful adoptive father. And Potter was for the family he had been born into. But everyone simply called him Harry.

James and Lily rejoined the war effort to put a stop to those whose prejudices threatened to destroy them. Their future was looking up until a dark wizard targeted their son. They stood together and didn't believe revealing Harry's true parentage would change a thing. They sacrificed themselves when the dark wizard attacked. Both of them gave their lives for their child. Even if it wasn't really the end for Lily. She wasn't really Lily Potter nee Evans. She never had been. The Evans family never even had a second daughter they were just made to believe they did. It was all a lie. A lie crafted to be punishment for Odin's youngest son, the Trickster whose shape shifting had caused untold damage between Odin and other kingdoms. As punishment for Loki's transgressions, Odin had stripped Loki of his powers. He bound him in his female form, changing only the color of his hair and de-aging him into an infant. Odin placed him with a suitable family who would teach him the morals Odin himself had been unable to. When the time came Odin would restore his son's memories and hopefully Loki would have grown into the mature prince he knew he was capable of being.

Odin hadn't planned on Loki being able to retain some of his magic, or that he would get involved in a mortal war. Odin alone was alerted when Loki had been killed. No one else knew of his punishment, not even his wife who would not have approved of such manipulations but Odin was desperate to change Loki's ways. Not even Heimdall would be able to locate Loki after Odin had stripped him of his powers, and hidden him away on Midgard. Odin had checked in on Loki from time to ensure that he was growing up well but he never imagined that Loki would be murdered in his new life. When Odin was alerted to his peril he went straight down to Midgard himself. He found Loki's body beside an empty crib. Shock flowed through him at the realization that Loki had a child who he had given his life for. Outside the house Odin could see a mortal man yelling at a half-giant who held a small wriggling bundle in his arms. Finally the conversation ended with the half-giant taking the child away on a flying mortal contraption while the dark haired mortal stormed back towards the house.

Creating a duplicate body to leave for the wizards, Odin quickly returned with Loki to Asgard. Odin restored Loki's powers and thus restored Loki to life. For the mortal magic that felled him could not truly kill an immortal. The damage, however, from the mortal Killing Curse had caused Loki to lose his memories as Lily. He didn't remember a thing and Odin probably thought that was for the best. Odin knew Loki's child had survived, however, he believed the child to have a mortal father and thought it would be best to leave the child among other mortals. Besides, without his memories of his time as a mortal Loki was just as wayward as he had always been. Odin did not think he was fit to raise a child, just as he was not fit to raise his other children.

So little Harek James Potter (who wasn't really Harek James Potter) was left on Earth with his oh so caring mortal relatives. Forgotten by one parent and unknown to the other. It wouldn't be until Loki's fall from the Bifrost into the void beneath that he would regain his memories. When he did it would change everything.

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**So here's the prologue. Let me know what you think! There will be no slash and updates might be slow. njchrispatrick also deserves some credit for helping me to develop this story.**


	2. Revelations

******Disclaimer: Sadly I do not the Avengers or Harry Potter.**

******Also the events of Harry Potter have been moved up several years to fit in with the timeline of the Avengers.**

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**Chapter 1: Revelations**

Loki watched the boy from the cover of the bushes. His newly acquired, not entirely willing servant, Agent Barton formerly of SHIELD, stood guard. He had brought Barton along because Loki couldn't help but lose himself in watching, and he didn't want any enemies sneaking up on him whilst vulnerable. Loki wanted to know everything about the boy because the boy was his son. The child from his forgotten time as Lily Evans Potter.

And oh what a shock getting those memories back had been. Loki didn't know whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand he had discovered that he had a wonderful little boy, and he had truly enjoyed his life as Lily so retrieving those memories had been wonderful. His parents had been good, caring people who had raised him with love. More than Odin had ever shown him. He'd had friends, and at school he had been someone others had looked up to. He'd been admired for his powers. On the other hand he now remembered that his beautiful child was also Thor's child. It seemed the universe was conspiring against him. Could he have nothing of his own? Was he forever doomed to lose everything to that blonde buffoon?

Of course Thor just had to find him whilst he had been Lily Evans, and the two of them just had to get along. Even without his memories how could he have allowed such a thing to happen? The situation was utterly humiliating to think that he could have fallen for Thor. He didn't have his memories at the time but how could he have found the buffoon charming? It left Loki feeling slightly sick to his stomach.

It was a double-edged sword for he loved his little boy but hated Thor with a passion. The thought of sharing his son with him left him seething. For this reason he was going to make sure that no one ever found out about it. He could only imagine Thor and Odin's horrified reactions were they ever to discover the truth. Odin would no doubt seek to take control of the boy while Thor… Loki wasn't quite sure what Thor would do. Loki had to admit that Thor's time on Midgard had changed the great oaf for the better. He was no longer quite so arrogant or brash. He was, however, still very much an idiot, and Loki didn't want that idiocy affecting his son.

Loki had located Harry as soon as he was able to, and had been checking in on him as often as possible. He was well aware of Harry's fame in the wizarding world, and what had caused it. Harry had of course survived the Killing Curse because he was an immortal. Loki as Lily had died from the curse because at the time his powers had been taken from him once his powers had been restored to him he had come back to life. Just as Thor had done after his run in with the Destroyer. If Harry hadn't been Thor and Loki's son his chance of survival would have vastly diminished for the children of mortals and immortals were mortals themselves. For that reason alone Loki was grateful that Harry was Thor's son.

For the past two weeks he had simply watched over his son. As much as Loki wanted to, he didn't dare approach his son. Not now, not while there were so many out there who were after him or wanted things from him. Once his position was secure he would came back for his son. He would take him far away from those insipid mortals, and ensure that the Dursleys were appropriately punished. But for now it would have to wait. The Other, and the Chitauri wanted him to move quickly in using the Tesseract to open a portal to allow their armies passage. Loki had managed to put them off for now, and buy himself some more time watching over his son and getting to know him.

Harry had just returned from Hogwarts for the summer. He had already gone through two years at Hogwarts, and Loki was saddened to realize that he had already missed so much of his son's life. His Harek would be thirteen in just a month. The boy was already starting to have a more adult look to his features. When he was born he looked a great deal like Loki's male form with his black messy hair, and finer more aristocratic features. At the time Loki as Lily, and James weren't certain where he had gotten the black hair from considering Thor was blonde and as Lily he had been red haired. Loki knew now of course. But at the time they were simply pleased because his dark hair served the purpose of making it more plausible that he was James's son.

The only things that they had needed to hide were his eyes, which were a bright blue just like Thor's. This was easily hidden with a simple glamour charm something Lily had excelled at. Now he knew why, Loki's illusions were some of his best magic. But now that Harry was getting older it was easier to see more of Thor in him in the shape of his jaw and brow. If you were looking for it. He was tall for his age but still slender with youth. Loki wondered absently if he would grow to have Thor's more muscular build or Loki's own leaner build.

Loki wanted nothing more than to approach his son, and everyday he tried coming up with a reasonable excuse to approach him. Loki felt more grounded when he was around his son. The fogginess that lurked in the corners of his mind lessened when he was around his son. It made him feel more like himself. Day after day he watched as his son came to the park in the evening to simply sit alone on the swings. He knew during the day the Dursleys had him doing a ridiculous amount of chores. They treated his son worse than a slave, and it made Loki seethe with rage. He knew that Petunia had been jealous of him but he had never expected her to treat his son in such a vile manner. They would be appropriately _rewarded_ once Loki had control of Midgard.

Loki was preparing to leave for the day when Petunia's morbidly obese offspring and his gang of loyal followers walked into the park. This was Loki's first up close look at the massive boy. Loki had always thought of Volstagg as the largest person he knew but Dudley Dursley far surpassed him. He was nearly as wide as he was tall, and resembled a pig so strongly that Loki nearly believed he had some latent shape shifting abilities. Loki really didn't like the look in the rotund boy's beady eyes as he caught sight of his son alone on the swings. It was the look of a perpetual tormentor, and Loki loathed the look of panic on his son's face as his eyes darted about for an escape route. It all spoke of years of bullying.

"Hey, Potty," Dudley greeted.

"Go away, Dudley," Harry sighed in defeat.

"I don't think so think, Potter. This is our playground, you need to scram before I rearrange your face," Dudley said.

"Why? So you can smoke?" Harry taunted. Loki felt pride that his son's will wasn't entirely broken by these idiots.

"It's none of your business, Freak, now get lost before I make you. I'm on the boxing team now so I can beat your skinny arse even worse now," Dudley boasted.

"You tell 'em Big D," a thin rat faced boy encouraged.

Loki wanted to wipe them all from existence. It would hardly take any effort on his part. He barely managed to restrain himself.

"I'm shaking in my boots, Dudley. But I think I can take you," Harry muttered.

"You couldn't lay a hand on me, Potty, not without you-know-what, and dad would kill you if you did and then you'd get expelled from your freak school," Dudley taunted.

"I think you've forgotten, Dudley. I grew while I was at school. I could take you in a fight now," Harry finally stood up from his swing. He was indeed taller than the pig masquerading as a boy. From the look on the pig's face it was a fairly recent development, and he wasn't used to Harry being the taller of the two of them.

Dudley's pause was only momentary. Soon the rotund boy was taking a swing at Harry's face. Harry was prepared and easily caught Dudley's meaty fist. Dudley's face turned red as he exerted as much pressure as he could to try and break free of Harry's hold. But no matter how hard he tried Harry was able to hold him as if it were nothing.

Loki frowned. Harry shouldn't have been exhibiting signs of his physical strength just yet. Along with the glamour on his eyes James and he had discovered a way to suppress his Asgardian abilities to better hide him from those that would seek to abuse his powers. The spell should have lasted at least until he came of age, and was prepared to protect himself. But it seemed that it was beginning to weaken now. This could be because of the fact that Harry wasn't really half Asgardian, half human as they had believed when casting the suppressing glamour. He was half Asgardian, half Jotun making him fully immortal. The spell must not have been strong enough to subdue all of his abilities especially with him beginning to mature. Loki panicked. Harry believed himself to be the son of Lily and James Potter, two mortal magic users. The sudden increase in strength and power would no doubt terrify and confuse his son. Harry would need some sort of guidance before he inadvertently drew attention to himself with his abilities.

Harry had dropped his cousin's hand. The larger boy glared at Harry before motioning to his cronies. They surged up to shove Harry to the ground where Dudley landed a few harsh kicks to Harry's side. His son could have fought them off. But Harry was intelligent enough to realize that one little display of strength was more than enough for one day. Anymore and it would become suspicious. It would draw far too much attention to himself if he was capable of fighting off an entire group of boys. Loki couldn't stand by and watch his child being harmed. He was going to break his cover. Loki may regret it later but at this moment he did not care. He wanted to smite the little fools who dared lay their hands on his little boy but he would settle for scaring them away.

"Boys, is there a problem here?" he called in a smooth dark voice that promised pain as he stepped out into the park.

The bullies all shot panicked looks at Loki, terrified at being caught in the act, before running away like the cowards they were. The fat oaf made a valiant effort to keep up with the rest. It was only Loki's centuries worth of control that kept him from giving chase so that he could strike down the great ball of lard. Loki turned his attention back to his son. Loki had faced countless terrors yet coming face to face with his son for the first time was somehow even more terrifying.

His son was dabbing at a small cut on his wrist. Taking a chance Loki leaned down.

"Here, allow me," with a wave of Loki's hand the cut was gone.

Harry gaped his fingers running over his healed skin in shock. "How did you do that?"

"Let me help you up and then I can explain," Loki asked offering his son a hand.

Harry ignored it and pulled himself to his feet. It was a sure sign that his son was used to relying on himself. Loki could certainly relate.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked again staring at him suspiciously.

Harry took a few steps back and watched Loki warily. Feeling irrationally hurt, Loki drew back his hand. A part of him knew he shouldn't feel hurt. He was a virtual stranger to Harry. Of course he would pull away from a strange man who had just performed unfamiliar magic on him without his consent. No matter how much he rationalized it, it still hurt. He hated being a stranger to his son. Harry was truly the only thing he had in his life. The only thing that truly mattered. He certainly wanted his revenge against Odin for manipulating his life, and ruling Midgard would be a great start. But what good was revenge if he didn't have his son?

"Magic," Loki finally replied.

A small amount of tension left Harry. "You're a wizard?"

"Not quite, but I am practitioner of magic," Loki explained.

"I don't understand. You can do magic but you're not a wizard? And you didn't use a wand or say a spell to heal me," Harry frowned.

"I think you'll find that the world is a much larger and diverse place than even the wizarding world is aware of. There are whole other worlds out there beyond the stars, entire other races capable of performing what you know as magic in ways you never thought possible, Harry," Loki said purposely using his son's name to force a reaction from him.

"Worlds? Wait, how do you know my name?" Harry demanded, once more on guard. Loki was proud that he had caught the slip.

"I mean you no harm. I simply would like to tell you a story, Harry. The story of Loki, God of Mischief and Magic and how he became Lily Potter," Loki replied, steadily holding his son's gaze.

"Is this some sort of joke? Who are you!?" Harry cried.

"I am Loki, formerly of Asgard, and once I was Lily Potter," Loki stated calmly.

"You're mad, is what you are," Harry declared backing away slowly.

"Harry wait, let me explain. Your strength and speed has increased, even your senses, and durability. I can tell you why," Loki persuaded.

Harry paused, and looked on with cautious interest. His need for answers was warring with his natural wariness of strangers.

"It is because you are my son, and I am a god. Please, just allow me to explain. Afterwards if you wish you may leave. But simply give me the chance to tell you the truth," Loki requested knowing that he had caught Harry's attention.

"Talk," Harry demanded.

Loki did, and for once in his life he was completely honest. The conversation lasted far longer than either of them expected, and the two of them migrated to sit on the benches. Harry had become less wary in his presence. He was still slightly on guard but he had unwillingly become engaged by Loki's tale.

"Wow," Harry murmured once Loki finally finished explaining everything. Harry had of course wanted to know all about the nine realms and Loki had created a magical diorama of Yggdrasil, the Tree of Life to show him. He had told him all about the various races, and about Loki's own place in it all.

"Yes, it is quite a lot to take in," Loki agreed.

"I'm not saying I believe you about the being my mum thing. But all of the other stuff is amazing. I mean there are whole other worlds out there with all sorts of magical creatures and people. Although it really shouldn't be all that surprising considering all of the things I've seen in the magical world," Harry eyes were wide with delight.

"I can prove to you that I am… for lack of better word, your mother," Loki said.

"How can you do that?" Harry questioned.

"There are several methods. The easiest, however, is to go straight to Gringotts to have a lineage test completed as I'm sure you would trust the results that they would give us. We can go now if you wish. I will have you back before Petunia ever notices you are gone," Loki signaled to Barton that he could take off. He was confident that SHIELD wouldn't sneak up on him while he was in the wizarding world.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Harry said.

"How about a more public mode of transportation?" Loki changed his clothing and Harry's to wizarding robes, and let out a shot of his magic to call their ride.

"What did you just—" Harry was cut off by the arrival of the Knight Bus.

The door to bright purple triple-decker bus swung open for Loki and Harry to board. Loki loathed the thought of taking the Knight Bus but if it would get Harry to trust him than he was all for it.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus the only mode of emergency public transportation for the stranded or displaced wizards. Just stick your wand hand out, step on broad, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. I'm Stan Shunpike and I'll be your conductor this fine Sunday afternoon. Where to gentlemen?" asked the young wizard who greeted them jovially at the door. He wore a purple uniform, and had large ears with a face full of pimples. It was a different person from when Loki had taken the bus as Lily. The little old man who sat behind the wheel with the thick glasses, however, was still the same. Well, his glasses looked even thicker now.

"Diagon Alley," Loki replied with forced cheerfulness.

"That'll be eleven Sickles apiece. Unless you'd like yourself an 'ot chocolate then it'd be firteen?" Stan offered with a grin.

Loki summoned the appropriate amount of coins and handed them to the conductor.

"'Ot chocolate it is then, find yourselves a seat and 'old on tight. We'll 'ave ya to your destination in no time," Stan waved them in.

Loki led Harry to one of the sofa chairs, and made sure he was appropriately settled in. The chairs were sturdier than the beds they put out during the night run. Loki placed a holding spell on Harry just to be safe. He remembered just how wild a ride the Knight Bus could be. Harry was too busy looking around the interior of the bus with wide eyes so Loki accepted the cups of hot chocolates Stan offered them. Once Harry had pulled his eyes off the décor Loki handed him his cup. Harry gratefully took a gulp.

"All right, take 'er away, Ern," Stan called.

The older man mumbled something incomprehensible before the bus shot off with a loud bang. Harry gave a quiet exclamation of surprise as they were slammed back into their seats. His eyes darted out the window to see that they were already passing through busy intersections, slipping between cars, and flying along sidewalks.

"How aren't the muggles noticing?" Harry gasped.

"I think you'll find that mortals don't often notice things outside their own little lives," Loki replied trying to keep himself looking as dignified as possible while being whipped around on the Knight Bus.

"What are your names?" Stan asked conversationally.

"I'm Lucas and this is my son Evan. We're on our way to do some shopping. But I'm afraid Evan isn't particularly fond of apparating thus the need for the Knight Bus," Loki smiled.

"Can't say I blame 'im. Never passed my own test. It's a pretty awful way to get about," Stan said just as they took a jolting turn that caused some of Harry's hot chocolate to spill.

"Are you all right?" Loki asked in concern.

"Fine," Harry assured him.

"I think it'd be safer to finish that until after we arrive safely at our destination," Loki took the hot chocolate from him to prevent further chances of being burned.

Harry shot him an odd look. Belatedly Loki realized he sounded like an overprotective mother hen especially considering his son was an immortal. A bit of hot chocolate wasn't going to kill him. Nevertheless Loki found himself holding the cups faraway from his son. Thankfully no one was there to witness his worrisome behavior.

Loki was thankful when they finally arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. He'd had enough of the Knight Bus and hoped that he never had to ride on it again. Loki led the way into the Leaky Cauldron. He cut through the crowd quickly. Loki didn't want to take the chance of anyone recognizing Harry. For this reason he also employed a repelling charm as well as quick movements. The two of them arrived at Gringotts completely unimpeded.

Upon entering Gringotts Loki went straight to the teller and asked to see Ragnok. The goblin frowned at the demanding request until he sensed Loki's power. Goblins were intelligent creatures, and knew of the other realms. They also had a sixth sense for recognizing the powerful and wealthy so of course the creature recognized that there was something more to Loki.

The goblin teller brought them to a private office to meet with the head goblin of the bank, Ragnok.

"Prince Loki or shall I call you Mrs. Potter?" Ragnok questioned his shrewd beady eyes fixed on Loki.

"Loki will be fine," he said giving the goblin a tight smile. Loki wondered just how the little beast had figured it out. He had given a sample of his blood when he had married James so that he would have complete access to the Potter vaults. Although, he had been stripped of his powers at the time it did not change his blood. He was still a Jotun at his core, and the goblins must have known the truth all along.

"What brings you to Gringotts, Loki, and… guest?" the goblin looked between the two of them, amusement in its dark eyes.

"A genealogy test," Loki replied.

"A genealogy test for you and Mr…."

"Potter," Harry answered.

"Harek Potter, so nice to finally meet you," Ragnok's gaze swept over Harry in an assessing manner. Harry squirmed uncomfortably. Loki fought the urge to shield him from the goblin's gaze.

"Yes, well, we would like this to be cleared up as soon as possible. So if you would be so kind," Loki requested returning the goblin's attention to himself.

"Would you like a complete genealogy test for Mr. Potter or are you looking for just a paternity—I apologize— maternity test?" questioned Ragnok.

"Careful, goblin, you are testing my patience," Loki warned in a low dangerous voice.

The goblin looked slightly contrite. The creature recognized the power Loki wielded and that Loki could destroy him if he so chose, "My apologies Prince Loki."

Loki nodded his acceptance of the apology and glanced at Harry to see if he had an opinion on the type of test he wanted to take. Loki wasn't too keen on the idea of the complete test. He didn't want Harry to find out about Thor. The look on Harry's face was one of confusion, and uncertainty. This was a lot for Harry to take in all at once. Loki's presence was very sudden, and he was bringing up information that was quite unbelievable and unreal. Ragnok had also addressed him as Mrs. Potter that had to throw some doubt into his beliefs.

"What's the difference between the two?" Harry asked.

"A complete genealogy test would provide you with a list of your genetic ancestors for the past ten generations. While the paternity test would be to determine a familial connection between two people," Ragnok informed him promptly.

"Can you do both of them?" Ragnok nodded. "What do I have to do?"

Loki was feeling a little panicked. He didn't want Harry to know the truth about his father. But if he stopped him from taking the test he wanted to take then he would undoubtedly think he was hiding something, which he was. However, knowing the truth about his origins would just complicate matters. Then again, Harry would need to know eventually. Perhaps just getting everything all out in the open at once would be preferable. He didn't want to lie about Harry's origins as Odin had lied to him. It would only cause mistrust and hatred to build between the two of them.

"A drop of your blood, Mr. Potter, on the parchment is all that is required to complete the genealogy test. It can take a couple of minutes to complete so it is best if you do that first. And a drop of blood from both of you in this bowl will sufficiently complete the paternity test. If the blood in the bowl turns black there is no connection. If it turns white there is a close familial connection specifically that of a parent and child," Ragnok handed both Harry and Loki thin golden knives with ornate symbols. He placed a piece of the specially crafted, goblin made parchment, and a glass bowl in front of both of them.

Harry gently pricked his finger, and allowed a drop of blood to fall on the parchment and then a drop into the bowl. Loki placed a drop of his own blood into the bowl. They all watched with baited breath as the blood in the bowl swirled together to become a pure snow white.

"It's all true. You really are one of my parents," Harry breathed in shocked awe.

"Yes, I was once Lily Potter. I'm your mother," Loki smiled encouragingly, enjoying the cautious look of happiness on Harry's face.

"I don't know what to think about this. My mum is alive and she's…I mean you are a _god_. That means I'm half god. I guess it explains a lot of what's been happening to me," Harry muttered.

"Well, you're not—"

"The second test has just completed itself," Ragnok inserted motioning to the parchment.

Both of their gazes instantly locked on to the parchment. Loki easily located Harry's name down on the bottom of the parchment. From there it was simple to follow the lines that branched off from it to the two names that sat directly above it. He knew when Harry had done the same for the boy gave a slight gasp of denial, and abruptly sat back in his chair. All of the blood drained from his face and his gaze darted to Loki's.

"Is this true?" Harry questioned desperately.

"Yes," Loki replied simply.

"Payment?" Ragnok reminded.

Loki flashed a dark glare at the goblin and dropped the appropriate amount of coins onto the desk.

The clever little creature grinned as he snatched them up. "It was a pleasure doing business with a Prince of Asgard."

"I'm sure. Good day," Loki nodded curtly and climbed to his feet.

Loki guided the stunned Harry from the bank. The dazed boy still clutched the parchment in his hand, and Loki carefully removed it from his grip lest anyone else catch sight of what was written on it. Loki moved them quickly down Diagon Alley. He wanted to get Harry to a place where the two of them could speak in private. The revelation had caused Harry to slip into a state of shock, and Loki wanted a quiet place to calm him down and explain everything. Knowing he would find no such place in the alley Loki decided to bring them both back to the empty park. Harry was in no position to argue making it easier to teleport them both.

"Harry," Loki gently touched his shoulder. The boy didn't respond. Loki placed both hands on his shoulders and turned Harry to face him.

"Neither of my parents are who I thought they were," Harry still refused to look directly at him but at least he had finally spoken.

"No, they're not but this doesn't change who you are. You're still the same Harry you were when you woke up this morning. I know how challenging this can be. You are not who believed yourself to be. Your heritage is not what you thought. I myself went through such a revelation when I discovered Odin and Frigga were not my parents. I have come to realize since then that my blood does not change who I am. However, I care for you a great deal and wish to be a part of your life. I never would have kept my true identity from you if the choice had been mine. But unfortunately it wasn't. For twenty years I was unaware of who I truly was, and as I explained it has only been recently that I regained my memories of my time as Lily. I came for you as soon as I remembered. I wish I had been given the chance to raise you," Loki pleaded.

"I understand that you're my mother, well as much as anyone can understand that their mum is really a Norse God who got turned into a woman by their adopted father as a very strange and severe punishment. What I don't understand is that my father isn't James. It says on my family tree that my parents are Loki Laufeyson and Thor Odinson. You are Loki, you were Lily but now you're back to being your true self. You are my mum and no one knew that you were a Norse God in disguise, not even you, so that makes sense. But why is my father listed as Thor Odinson when everyone believes that James Potter is my father?" Harry stared at Loki accusingly.

"It's not what you think. Yes, Thor is your father but James was well aware of that fact. James and I were not in a relationship at the time I met Thor. However, after Thor returned to Asgard, and I realized I was pregnant James come to me offering me a place to stay. I never intended to rekindle our relationship that wouldn't have been fair to him when I was carrying another man's child. But James didn't care; he was kind, and understanding. He wanted to be your father, and I cared for him. We decided to get married, and raise you together. James and I knew Thor was an Asgardian. We thought you would be a demi-god because at the time I believed myself to be a mortal witch. If the Death Eaters discovered you they would have certainly come after you. Wizards revere Asgardians even though only the older families still hold to the belief that we exist. They would have wanted to take and raise you to accept their own ideals. We wanted to protect you from that in any way that we could, and so James proclaimed that you were his biological son. No one knew any differently, only his best friend and your godfather knew the truth," Loki explained softly. He regretted Sirius's fate. Once he had completed his mission he would get Sirius out of Azkaban.

"So Thor is from Asgard, too?"

Loki nodded. Harry's brow was creased with a slight frown.

"He's the God of Thunder, right? He's a prince, and the goblin called you a prince. Wait… aren't you brothers?" the blood had once more drained from Harry's face and he looked truly distressed.

"No, we're not," Loki insisted pulling out the parchment with Harry's genealogy on it. "Remember what I told you? Odin and his wife Frigga adopted me. Thor is their biological child as you can see on your family tree. My biological parents are Jotuns. My father Laufey was their king and my mother is Farbauti. Thor and I share no blood so you need not worry."

"But you were raised together," Harry pointed out.

"Yes, we were. But at the time of your conception we were unaware of one another's identities. I did not have my memories of my past, and Thor was unaware that I had been turned into a woman. If we had been aware then I assure you, you would have never been born. It was truly happenstance that Thor and I would end up finding one another. Perhaps it was the norns that arranged our meeting, ensuring that you were born. Mayhaps you have a great destiny ahead of you," Loki cajoled.

"Just what I need." Harry shrugged, and looked away.

"I know this is a lot for you to take in. It is a very strange situation. I admit even I have trouble wrapping my mind around it. It is almost too fantastical to contemplate."

"I'm not human," Harry said with sudden realization. "I'm not even half human."

"And that is the reason you are growing stronger and faster. James and I placed a glamour on you that changed the color of your eyes and suppressed your Asgardian abilities to better hide you from Voldemort's followers. But of course we did realize that you were not just half Asgardian. You are half Asgardian, half Jotun. It is for this reason that I believe the glamour is breaking down quicker than it should have, and you are gaining the strength and power of an immortal. Your immortality is the reason you survived the Killing Curse. The children of mortals and the Aesir are mortal as well, and therefore you should have never survived it."

"What color are my eyes?" Harry wanted to know. Loki knew how distressing it could be to wake up and discover that the image you looked at in the mirror everyday was not your true appearance.

"Your eyes are the same as Thor's own stormy bright blue," Loki replied.

"What's he like? Thor?" Harry asked tentatively.

Loki couldn't blame Harry for being curious about his father. It didn't mean that Loki wanted to talk about him. However, Loki wouldn't speak ill of Thor in front of Harry. No matter how much he hated Thor at the moment he wouldn't color Harry's opinion of him. It wouldn't be fair to his son. At the moment Harry was timidly pleased to discover that both his parents were really alive. Loki didn't want to crush him by revealing just how poor his and Thor's relationship was. He didn't want Harry thinking poorly of himself.

"He is very brave, and at times brash. Thor has a good heart. He cares for others, and is very determined to protect the ones he cares for," Loki made sure to hide away any trace of his discomfort at saying such kind things about Thor.

Harry was silent as he mulled over Loki's words.

"So you're both princes?" Harry asked looking a little unnerved.

"Yes, Odin is the King of Asgard. Thor as his only biological child is heir. Laufey was King of Jotunheim but he is dead. His oldest son Helblindi is his rightful heir so I hold no claim to either throne," Loki said disparagingly.

"I don't have any claim to the throne of Asgard, do I?" Harry asked nervously.

Loki couldn't help but note the differences between them. Harry looked utterly terrified about the prospect of being in line for the throne while Loki wanted nothing more than his chance to rule, to prove himself to Odin that he was capable of ruling. But Loki had been raised expecting that one day he might rule. Harry had never even entertained the possibility that he might have a claim to the throne.

"You were born out of wedlock. The only way you would come into the direct line of succession is if Thor were to acknowledge you and proclaim you his heir," Loki explained. There was a very large possibility of this happening considering Thor's infatuation with the mortal woman Jane. The two of them would only ever have mortal children, and a mortal could never take the throne of Asgard. Loki's son would be the only one left to inherit. The thought brought a smile to his face.

"Do you think he would? Claim me, if he knew about me?" Harry questioned. Loki understood what he was really asking.

"Thor would be pleased to have a son. Once he got over the shock of it all he would be proud to claim you as his child and heir," Loki assured Harry and it was the truth. Thor would love Harry even if Loki was his mother.

"So he wouldn't mind?" Harry persisted. His eyes were carefully averted, attempting to appear as if he didn't care what the answer would be. Loki knew differently. He knew how important it was to boys to make their fathers' proud.

"No, he would delight in having a son to teach and share things with. He is very much still a child himself so I'm sure you would enjoy your time spent together," Loki said already envious of imagined bonding moments between Thor and Harry. He could see Thor dragging Harry off on quests and endangering his life without realizing that he was in fact endangering his life. The man had never been around children, and wouldn't understand that he couldn't haul his young son off to fight dragons in Vanaheim.

"Right, so what happens now?" Harry was looking around the park, taking note of his surroundings for the first time.

"I have some things that I need to take care of. It shouldn't take long and I will try my best to visit in between. But afterwards I would like you to come live with me. We can be a family," Loki hoped he was hiding just how much he truly wanted that.

A cautious look of hope entered Harry's eyes. His son was as desperate as he was to have a real family.

"I don't want to leave you with Petunia and her husband but unfortunately I have no other choice at the moment. You are treated well besides the obvious fact that they are horrible, loathsome people to live with?" Loki questioned.

"It's nothing I'm not used to," Harry shrugged.

"That does not give me confidence in your treatment," Loki frowned.

He'd already risked a great deal revealing himself to Harry, and he couldn't imagine taking him with him at this time. The Other and SHIELD would discover him, and seek to use him against Loki. But if Harry wasn't safe with the Dursleys then he would try and make other arrangements for him. If worse came to worse he would reveal himself to them and threaten them with his wrath.

"They're fine. They leave me alone as long as I leave them alone," Harry replied. "Well, Dudley's annoying."

"I myself was teased as a child. There's nothing better than putting a bully in their place," Loki commented.

"Yeah, true. But Dudley isn't worth it."

"You must never let them see how much you hurt," Loki said firmly.

"I know and it doesn't bother me anymore," Harry told him and Loki believed him. His son was strong, and forgiving in a way that Loki never would be. "I really have to head back. It's gotten late and even the Dursleys will be wondering where I am by now. But will I see you again?"

"Of course, I will be back, Harry. I am so glad to have gotten the chance to speak with you, and to reveal the truth to you. I want nothing more than to spend more time with you," Loki assured.

"Right, well, bye for now then," Harry smiled

"Till next me meet," Loki smiled back.

Harry turned to leave. Loki's eyes followed him until he made it safely home. Loki wished for nothing more than to take his child with him. After being separated for so long it was painful to just let him walk out of his life again. He would be having words with Dumbledore about his son's placement as soon as he'd finished taking over the world.


	3. Between the Saltwater and the Sea Strand

**Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own the Avengers or Harry Potter.**

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**Chapter 2: Between the Saltwater and the Sea Strand**

A month had come and gone since Harry had found out the truth of his origins. It was still taking quite a bit of time for the knowledge to properly settle in his brain. Loki had come to see him at least twice a week since their initial meeting. Each time had been surprisingly wonderful. Their conversations flowed easily between the two of them, and Harry found himself telling Loki all about his life. It was nice to have someone who was interested, who listened to him without judgment just concern. Loki in turn told him about his life as Lily Potter, and a few stories from his life in Asgard. Harry had questioned him a few times about what he was doing on Earth, and long it would be until Harry could come and live with him but Loki somehow always managed to steer the conversation onto another topic.

However, Harry was willing to overlook his avoidance. He was simply glad for the chance to get to know his mother, and yes as strange as it sounded Harry found himself thinking of the god as his mother. Loki had assured him that he was more than welcome to think of Loki as his mother. It was who he was after all. The god was a shape shifter and though he spent most of his time as a male he still spent some of his time as a female, and Harry referring to him as his mother didn't bother him in the slightest. Loki had other children and was in fact the mother of another child. Harry's half brother Sleipnir was an eight-legged horse, and Odin's stead. It was strange to think that he had a brother out there, and even stranger to think that he was a horse. A very smart and magical horse but a horse nonetheless. Loki had told him a little bit about his other siblings as well, and even hinted that they he would take Harry to meet one of them soon. All in all Loki was a surprisingly adept and concerned parent.

It was hard not to think of Loki as such when the god was so nurturing and caring towards him. It was an affection that Harry had always craved for himself. All of his life he had seen the way Petunia had treated Dudley, and at times it was nauseating to witness while other times left him feeling hollow. Harry had craved having someone there to comfort him after his own nightmares or soothe his scraped knees. Loki wasn't nearly as bad as Petunia in the overly affectionate department. His gentle concern and encouragement was more than Harry had ever hoped for, and Harry basked in every bit of his attention. It was like a dream come true for Harry. He had his mother back. She wasn't quite a she or a human. But he was still the same person who had given birth to him, the same person who had been willing to sacrifice his life for Harry.

Harry even had a father somewhere out there. Loki had, somewhat reluctantly, said that after he had completed his task he would find a way for Harry to meet Thor. If he was so inclined. Harry found himself wanting to meet Thor. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to do it anytime soon. He wanted to take the time and get to know his mother a little better first before taking the leap in meeting his father. No matter how many times Loki assured him Harry wasn't certain that Thor would be happy about having an unknown son. The matter would be further complicated when Thor discovered that his child was also the child of his adopted brother he had unknowingly engaged in a relationship. It was certainly going to be a very awkward family reunion.

For now Harry was more than happy to just keep things between Loki and himself. It was simpler that way. Loki seemed more than a little relieved when Harry had told him this. He had to have been just as reluctant to confront his brother with the truth. Harry could only imagine how uncomfortable their interactions would be once the truth came out.

As it was, Harry and Loki were enjoying the chance to get to know one another. Over the past month Loki had been teaching him how to control his Asgardian magic. It was very different from magic done with wands. Loki had assured him that even though Harry was not a wizard he would still be able to perform the magic of wizards, after all wizards had inherited their magic from Asgardians. But now that the truth of his origins was out Harry would be capable of learning magic that was far beyond skills of the average witch or wizard. Harry excelled at these lessons. The magic Loki taught him came to him so much more naturally than anything he had learned so far in Hogwarts. It was even better that this form of magic was undetectable by the Ministry of Magic so he was able to do magic to his heart's content. It was a huge help in getting the Dursleys to leave him alone.

Today, a month after their first meeting, it was Harry's thirteenth birthday. He had received a bunch of letters and parcels from his friends, which he had eagerly gone through. Of course the Dursleys didn't even acknowledge it, and left the house to go off to do whatever it was they normally did. This suited Harry fine because he much rather preferred having the house to himself on his birthday even if it meant he still had to do his chores. However, Harry was shocked to suddenly find Loki in the living room looking at the pictures on the wall.

"Loki?" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

The god looked exhausted with deep, dark circles under his eyes. A large smile spread across his face the moment he saw Harry chasing away some of the worn look to his features.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Loki greeted with a large smile.

Harry flushed and he couldn't help but smile back. He wasn't used to anyone wishing him a happy birthday. Hagrid had actually been the first person to ever do so.

"Thank you. But what are you doing here?" Harry couldn't help but be surprised that Loki had appeared in the middle of the Dursley's living room.

"I have a wonderful birthday lunch prepared for the two of us," Loki informed him a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Harry felt excitement surge through him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Loki grinned a familiar mischievous glint in his emerald eyes.

Before Harry could beg Loki to tell him the god had stepped forward and pulled him close so that he could teleport the two of them.

In the next instance Harry and Loki were standing on a large cliff face over looking the ocean. Harry gasped as he looked out over the crashing waves, and stared down at the jagged rocks littered in the water. The sun was bright and glittering across the dark water.

"Why did you bring us here?" Harry questioned. It was a beautiful spot but there had to be a greater significance to it for Loki to bring them here.

"Someone else wanted to celebrate your birthday," Loki teased with a huge smile.

Harry frowned and was about to ask just who else Loki could have invited to have lunch with them. Before he could the ocean began to churn. For a moment Harry thought that maybe it was an oncoming storm. But there weren't any storm clouds. Besides something was beginning to rise from the water. Harry's jaw dropped open as a massive serpentine head rose from the waves. The long tapered muzzle was full of long sharp teeth, and its head was crowned with spiked ridges. Smaller curved spikes continued their way down the goliath creature's spine. The gargantuan serpent's scales were a surprisingly beautiful mix of reds, oranges, browns, and gold, and it glittered like fire in the sunlight. Its massive eyes, which contained a slit pupil, were a familiar shade of emerald green. Harry had thought the fifty-foot basilisk was the biggest snake he would ever have the misfortune to come across but this sea serpent easily dwarfed the basilisk. It was like comparing a worm to a boa constrictor.

"Harek allow me to introduce you to your elder brother, Jormungandr. Jor meet you little brother Harry," Loki introduced with a pleased smile as the serpent came to rest its massive head on the edge of the cliff.

"Hello little brother," the serpent, Jormungandr, greeted in a surprisingly soft, silky voice that was quite similar to Loki's own. "Father hasn't been able to stop talking about you since he got his memories back. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You too," Harry managed to squeak out utterly stunned, and more than a little intimidated in the face of the massive sea snake and said snake's mouthful of razor sharp teeth.

Jormungandr laughed, causing the earth to shake a little bit. "You have nothing to fear from me, little brother. We are both the sons of Loki, and therefore we share a close bond. We must because we are hated and feared by all others. No one else will look out for us so we must look after one another."

"Jormungandr," Loki frowned.

"I only speak the truth, father. Harek will need to hear it eventually. Asgard fears us because we are monsters in their eyes, and the children of Loki were prophesized to bring about Ragnarok," Jormungandr replied shifting in the water and causing massive waves to surge up.

"Ragnarok?" Harry questioned.

"The end of all things, little brother, or an apocalypse type of thing if you will, it is a more well known term. Odin feared so much that he had us hunted down and imprisoned. He tossed me into Midgard's oceans and bound me to them. I cannot leave the water unless I leave my magic behind. Of course I made out better than Fenris who was chained to a rock for all eternity. At least I have the freedom of the ocean. Hela was cast into Helheim but she rules there and has acquired quite a bit of power for herself. Then Sleipnir has been reduced to nothing more than Odin's steed. Yes, the children of Loki are destined to suffer horrible fates," Jormungandr spat with obvious hatred.

"Let us speak of more pleasant things, shall we? It is Harry's birthday after all," Loki sent a reproving look Jormungandr's way. Harry could see the sorrow in Loki's at the mention of his other children's fate.

Surprisingly the giant serpent looked appropriately chastised by Loki's stern words. "I do not mean to spoil your birthday by speaking of such things, Harry. But sometimes I cannot help but be bitter by our fate especially when we did nothing to deserve such imprisonment except for being born differently."

"It's all right, I understand. It's got to be pretty awful being locked away. Besides I'd like to know more about you and my other siblings," Harry really did understand about being locked away. Maybe not to the extent that Jormungandr or Fenris were but he had been kept in a cupboard under the stairs for nearly ten years of his life.

"Well, that is something we can speak of. Although, I have not seen my other siblings in several centuries I can tell you what I remember of our childhood," Jormungandr offered.

Harry had done some reading on Norse myths after finding out about Loki. But Loki had told him that most of what the myths said were inaccurate so he hadn't paid that close attention to them. When Loki said that he had siblings Harry had assumed that the myths about his siblings being giant monsters were one of those things that the myths had gotten wrong. After all it just seemed too fantastical to contemplate that his siblings were a giant snake, a giant wolf, an eight-legged horse, and the goddess of the dead. But it looked like the myths were right as Jormungandr began to tell him about their other siblings.

Fenris, Jormungandr, and Hela all shared the same mother. She had been a sorceress giantess by the name of Angrboda. She had passed away during Hela's birth leaving Loki to raise their three young children. However, Loki had not been allowed to raise them for long. After a prophecy was made where Loki's children would be responsible for starting Ragnarok they were hunted down and imprisoned. Loki hadn't been able to stop it. Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for his older siblings. They had been young when they had been hunted, and they had barely gotten a chance to live.

"It seems my children are fated to have their lives disrupted by prophecies," said Loki angrily.

"Was a prophecy made for Harry, too?" Jormungandr questioned.

"Yes."

"What? There was a prophecy about me?" Harry gasped not expecting the answer.

"It was a Midgardian prophecy. So I am uncertain to just how true its words are, and the prophecy never mentioned you specifically. However, at the time James and I had no choice but to take the prophecy seriously especially since Voldemort believed the prophecy to be true."

"The prophecy was about Voldemort? Is that why he came after us?" Harry demanded in shock.

"It was. The prophecy stated that a child would be born at the end of July to parents who had thrice defied him, and that child would be the one to defeat him. There was nothing more that Voldemort valued than his own life. So he acted quickly to remove the threat against his life. Voldemort came to the conclusion that there were only two children who fit this description yourself and Neville Longbottom. Both of our families went into hiding. But for whatever reason Voldemort chose to come after us that night," Loki explained.

"But James Potter isn't my biological father so does that mean I'm not really the one the prophecy spoke of?" Harry questioned.

"That is one of the reasons that I don't believe the prophecy to be a true one. You don't really fit the requirements of the prophecy because of your paternity but neither does Neville Longbottom simply for the fact that the prophecy stated 'the dark lord would mark him as his equal'. So unless Voldemort suddenly marks Neville. I don't see how the prophecy could possibly be true."

"I think all prophecies are a load of shit. After all I'm supposed to devour Thor and destroy Midgard. Thor may not be my favorite person but I honestly can't see myself wanting to eat him, and I rather like Midgard after all of the years I've spent here. Fenris eating Odin might be a little closer to truth considering he's the one who imprisoned us," Jormungandr stated dryly.

"I have to agree with you, Jor, about the prophecies. From now on we will ignore all prophecies. We will not allow them to dictate our lives. Agreed?" Loki smiled.

Jormungandr and Harry both agreed. Although, Harry had more questions for Loki about exactly what happened with the Voldemort. Harry deserved to know more about the man who had already tried to do away with him three times. But it was his birthday and he was spending the day with his mother and his brother, and Harry didn't want to think about Voldemort anymore than he had to. Loki and he had already had a long conversation about Voldemort, and his continued existence. Loki was slightly perplexed on how the dark wizard was still alive. He had been enraged to discover that the man had come after Harry again, and then intrigued when Harry had recounted the tale about the diary Riddle. He'd gotten a calculating look in his eyes, and refused to say any more about the subject no matter how much Harry pestered him. Loki insisted that he would tell Harry about his idea once he had concrete proof. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to get that proof until after he finished task he was currently working on.

While Loki momentarily disappeared to grab Harry's presents, Jormungandr started to tell him some more stories about Fenris and Hela. However, it was a bit awkward to continue speaking because Harry had to constantly tilt his head back.

"Here, I will come on land so we can speak better with one another," Jormungandr offered.

"You can come on land? I thought that you were imprisoned in the water," Harry asked in surprise.

"I can leave the ocean but I have to leave my magic behind. I would be forced to take my weaker form since it is my shape shifting powers that sustains this form," Jormungandr replied.

"Wait, so you aren't really a giant snake?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Of course not. We are all just gifted with a strong shape shifting ability. Unlike Father, however, Fenris and I are only capable of shifting into one alternate form. But because of the strength of our power our other forms are powerful and gigantic," Jormungandr explained.

"So you can leave the ocean whenever you want?" Jormungandr nodded. "So why don't you?"

"I like my magic. It is a part of who I am. It is very unpleasant to have it stripped from me even it does allow me a bit of freedom to travel across Midgard," Jormungandr replied.

"I suppose I didn't think of it like that," Harry murmured. "I wouldn't like to have my magic stripped from me either. It's a part of who I am."

Magic had been the reason he'd gotten away from the Dursleys. It was a part of who he was, and being suddenly stripped of it would be horrible.

"Yes, but at least I still have my physical strength when out of the water. So I'm not completely helpless if I have to go on land," Jormungandr said flashing a toothy grin.

Harry shuddered and was very thankful that Jormungandr was his brother. Meeting the world serpent in any other context would definitely be terrifying. Jormungandr then proceeded to shock Harry further by shifting into a human form. Watching his massive shape fold itself into the tall lanky form of a young man was very disconcerting. Harry could only stare at his brother's human form in utter amazement unable to process that he was the same being as the giant sea serpent. Jormungandr had fiery, dark red wavy hair that was actually very similar in color to Loki's when he had been Lily. His skin was the same pale cream as Loki's but while Loki's skin was flawless Jormungandr bore a scattering of golden brown freckles across his face and arms. Nowhere near to the extent of a Weasley of course, but there were enough to notice. Jormungandr's eyes were the same deep emerald as before but lacked his slit pupil. He looked similar in appearance to Loki but he had a longer face, fuller lips and a longer nose. He was also a little taller than Loki with a thinner, leaner build.

A huge, mischievous grin flashed over Jormungandr's features as Harry continued to gape at him.

"What do you think of my human form, little brother?" Jormungandr threw his long arms out to the side, and did a little twirl.

"We sort of look alike, well except our hair color," Harry offered. In all honesty Jormungandr sort of reminded him of the Weasley twins. They had the same devious glint in their eyes as if they were about to cause trouble at any moment.

"Yes, there is no denying our parentage. Although, I believe your other parent is making himself known in your features," Jormungandr said knowingly.

"I look like Thor?" Harry questioned timidly.

Jormungandr flashed a small indulgent smile. "You do share several similar features with him."

"It's strange to think that I have two fathers," Harry admitted.

"No stranger than having a horse for a father," Jormungandr snorted.

Harry's nose wrinkled, and Jormungandr laughed at his expression of discomfort.

"I don't want to think about any of our conceptions," Harry stated firmly.

Jormungandr just continued to chuckle at Harry's expense. "Oh little brother. Still so young and innocent. When you've lived for a few centuries everything will stop phasing you."

"Centuries," Harry murmured. "I don't think I've really accepted that I'm going to live for centuries."

"Even longer than that," Jormungandr said, a look of gentle understanding in his eyes.

"I'm going to outlive everyone I know. Everyone at Hogwarts," Harry whispered.

"Oh Harry, it seems I keep bringing up dark subjects on your birthday. I do not want you to dwell on such thoughts. You will have to come to term with them eventually. Such is our fate as immortals. My time on Midgard has made me well aware of these facts. But never forget that your family will always be here for you."

Jormungandr then threw his arms around Harry and swung him around in a tight hug. Surprised, Harry gave a laugh causing Jormungandr to spin him around some more. It was hard to brood about how he was going to outlast all of his friends when his older brother was spinning him around so fast it was making his head spin.

"Now, how would you like to learn a little trick that you can play on Father, hmm?" Jormungandr asked with a sly grin as he finally set a slightly dizzy Harry back on his feet.

Harry gave him an eager grin, and leaned in closer. Ron was constantly complaining about having older brothers but Harry was thrilled to have met Jormungandr, and that he seemed to be as eager as he was to have a relationship with him.

Jormungandr gave him a whole list of pranks that he could pull on Loki, and ones that he could pull when he went back to Hogwarts. Harry was normally too busy to think about pranks but Jormungandr insisted that he uphold his trickster heritage, and at least pull one of the pranks in the coming school year. He then turned to telling Harry stories about their other siblings. Narfi and Vali were the twin sons of Loki's ex-wife Sigyn. Narfi and Vali suffered an unfortunate accident while they were young. Jormungandr wasn't sure exactly what had happened because by that time he had already been thrown into the ocean, and Loki, who was his only source of information on Asgard, refused to talk about it. Either way Narfi and Vali perished, and that started all of the rumors in Asgard about Loki's children being cursed because of his own misdeeds. Sigyn ended up separating herself from Loki in her grief over their children's deaths, and Loki had sworn to never have any more children. He had kept his promise to himself until he had been punished and lost his memories, and unknowingly had Harry.

Their conversation about their other siblings had been cut short when Loki returned bearing Harry's birthday presents and a birthday cake. The three of them relaxed in the rock chairs Loki transfigured to eat their slices. Jormungandr then proceeded to quickly eat the rest of the cake when Loki's back was turned. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the glare Loki shot at Jormungandr when he realized what had happened. Who knew giant snakes liked cake?

After cake Loki brought Harry's attention back to the presents he had brought with him. Harry was shocked and pleased by the gifts that Loki had presented him with. Loki had gotten him several new outfits that he could wear in place of Dudley's castoffs, a book on Asgardian history and culture, a beautiful dagger that Loki promised to teach him how to use, and finally a woven leather bracelet with a jade stone set in it. The bracelet held several protections in it, and as long as Harry wore it Loki would be alerted to when Harry was in danger.

"I have given you the wristband because I am uncertain when the next time I will be able to visit you will be. I am nearly finished with my task, and soon we will be able to be a family once more," Loki informed him as he helped Harry tie the bracelet securely to his wrist with a little bit of magic. "The wristband will also allow you to contact Jormungandr in the event of an emergency."

"And I'll come running as fast as I can. It might be a little slow considering I won't have my magic, and have to come all the way from the sea. But I'll do my best," Jormungandr swore.

Soon after that Loki and Harry said their goodbyes to Jormungandr with promises to visit again as soon as Loki had finished with his task. Apparently Loki's task would not only free Harry from the Dursleys but his plans also included breaking the enchantment that kept Jormungandr locked away in the sea. It would also see their other siblings freed. Jormungandr was practically giddy at the thought of being reunited with his other siblings. Harry also couldn't help but look forward to the thought of having his other siblings free, and getting the chance to meet them face to face. He and Jormungandr had gotten along really well. Harry couldn't wait to see what his other siblings were like.

Two weeks had passed since Harry's birthday. Two weeks without hearing anything from Loki, and he couldn't help but be worried about him. Loki hadn't looked good the last time he had seen him. He had tried to hide it from him but Harry had seen the dark circles under his eyes, and his increasingly pale complexion was definitely not good. Harry knew Loki was as close to immortal as one could get but he had looked sick. It made Harry wonder what was possibly powerful enough to make him so weak.

What made matters worse was that Vernon's sister Marge had come to stay with them. She was a truly awful woman who bred bulldogs. She had brought her prized dog, Ripper, with her. Harry hated Ripper and Ripper hated him. The beastly dog used to bite and chase Harry when he was younger, much to the encouragement of the Dursleys. Now, however, Ripper wouldn't even come near him anymore. Not after his first attempt at biting him. The dog had bitten into Harry's ankle as soon as he came through the door but had yelped when he nearly broke off a tooth against Harry's much tougher skin. It was a huge contrast to even a month and half prior when Harry had cut his hand when Dudley and his friends had attacked him in the park.

It was proof that he was changing, and growing stronger by the day. It was nice to have gotten stronger but it was a constant reminder to Harry that he wasn't human. Loki had explained that the glamour would probably break down completely by the end of the summer, and that his Asgardian blood would be coming into full effect. Soon he would possess the full powers he had always been meant to have. It was so strange for Harry to contemplate. A part of him recognized that both of his parents were gods. It was so much stranger to think of himself in the same context. He was just Harry well Harek technically. But the Dursleys had always insisted to anyone who would listen that his name was Harry. Harek was far too abnormal for the Dursleys to handle. It was so hard to imagine that he was nearly immortal, and that he was, for all intents and purposes, a god too. Harry wasn't sure if he would ever come to truly see himself in such a manner. Well, at least it meant that he didn't share any blood with the Dursleys.

Harry had kept himself mostly out of the way during Marge's visit. It was made easier with the Dursley's newly discovered wariness of him. Harry had performed a few tricks that Loki had taught him to get them to leave him completely alone. Since then they had left Harry to his own devices, not making him do any chores or anything. However, one morning when he ventured down to get breakfast he found the Dursleys all sitting around the tellie. It wasn't an uncommon sight to see them all around it so Harry continued into the kitchen to make himself breakfast. It was only when he was heading back up to his room to eat that he realized something was wrong.

"Just what is this world coming to?" Vernon demanded in an angry voice. "We've got all kinds of freaks flying around, and now there are even aliens attacking us."

That caught Harry's attention; it was just too crazy a statement for him not to find out what they were going on about. "Did you just say aliens?"

The Dursleys, save Dudley whose gaze stayed locked on the tellie, all looked over at him as he stepped into the living room.

"Where have you been, boy? Lazing about no doubt while the world's been attacked by aliens," Vernon barked.

"The world's gone utterly mad," Marge agreed as she took a swig from her glass of wine. No one even bothered to stop her even though it was still early morning.

"Aliens?" Harry questioned.

Before meeting Loki that statement might have had him laughing at the absurdity of it, and believing that the Dursleys had finally lost it. But Loki had told him all about the Nine Realms, and how there were even worlds beyond that. He knew because Loki had seen them for himself, and he had promised to show them to Harry some day. The universe was a huge place with all sorts of different people and creatures out there. Harry should know considering his mother was actually the God of Mischief, and he'd met his brother the giant sea serpent. Harry just didn't think aliens would ever come to Earth.

"Yes, now shut up and watch the tellie if you want to learn something. The rest of us would like to know what happened without you interrupting," Petunia snapped.

Silently all of their gazes returned to the news broadcast. Harry gaped in amazement at what they were reporting. Yesterday aliens had attacked New York City, leveling nearly half of it. A portal had been opened on the roof of Stark Tower, and an alien army had poured through into the city. A group of extraordinary people had worked together to stop these invaders, and in the end they had triumphed over them. The aliens had been destroyed and the world was saved.

The news was still trying to piece together everything that had happened but they did have some video footage of what had happened, and they played them continuously on almost every channel. It was the biggest story in the world. There were six heroes that were listed as being responsible for saving the city. They were calling themselves the Avengers. Harry had heard of Iron Man or Tony Stark before. He was often in the news for something or other, and Dudley was obsessed with him because he was rich and girls loved him. Harry also knew Captain America, he had learned about him in primary school. The Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk were unfamiliar to Harry. But the last member of the group was both familiar and foreign to him.

Harry closely studied all the videos and pictures of Thor that flashed across the screen. It was utterly strange for Harry to consider that the muscular man in the silver and blue armor, and long red cape was his biological father. The God of Thunder was nearly the exact opposite of Loki in every way. Loki was tall but lean with inky black hair, pale skin, and emerald green eyes. Thor was tall as well, taller even. But where Loki was lean, Thor was broad and muscular with long blonde hair and a well-trimmed beard. His skin was a golden tan, and his eyes were blue. The same electric blue as Harry's own had become. Or at least that's what Loki had claimed their color to be. The pictures on the tellie made it difficult to tell if Loki had told him the truth or not.

Harry didn't get long to ponder about his father being on Earth because the news program switched to the perpetrator of the attack. The shock of seeing Loki riding around with the aliens, and fighting with Thor was enough to send Harry scrambling back up to his room unable to continue watching. Loki was the reason behind the attack. He'd tried to take over the world. He'd kept this knowledge from Harry and it hurt. Why had Loki done this? Why was he fighting Thor? There had been footage of the two of them fighting on Stark Tower. It wasn't close up or very clear but it was good enough to see that Loki had stabbed Thor in the side only for Thor to retaliate and slam him into the ground. Before Thor could attack again Loki had rolled off the side of the building only to be caught by an alien craft.

Loki had only told him stories from their childhood, and from them Harry assumed that they had been close. He never once mentioned what their relationship was like now. Harry had been too enraptured by the idea of both his parents being alive that he didn't really think about what their relationship might be. Never once did he imagine that their relationship would have been this bad. While fighting they had looked as if they had wanted to kill one another. Harry wasn't sure what to do with this information. Everything was far too confusing. Harry had been really starting to trust Loki, and this attack made him second-guess his feelings towards Loki. Only time would tell just what Loki's true motives were.

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**Thank you so much to njchrispatrick who betaed this chapter and offered a lot of support and advice for the story.**

**Also for anyone who might be curious as to what Harek looks like in my mind. I picture a young Tom Welling from Smallville.**


	4. Float Through the Air

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or Harry Potter.**

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**Chapter 3: Float Through the Air**

The next week passed with a constant stream of news articles and TV programs all talking about the invasion of New York. Harry was perhaps the one person in the world who was tired of hearing about it. Everyone else couldn't shut up about it. Hermione had sent him a letter gushing all about it but Harry couldn't find it within him to bother responding. Ron was in Egypt so Harry wondered if the redhead even knew about the attack. Even other news like an escaped mass murderer was over shadowed by speculations about the Avengers. Most people hailed them as heroes while some thought they should pay for the destruction, and be brought up on charges. However, everyone seemed to be in agreement that Loki was at fault, and they wanted to see him punished for his crimes. He'd led an attack in Germany that had killed 80 people, and that's not counting the many others who had perished from opening a portal to let an alien army attack Earth. Harry just couldn't get a handle on his emotions or how he felt about what Loki had done. It was hard to reconcile the caring person he had been with him to the evil villain that had been responsible for destroying half of New York.

The only good thing about all of this was that the Dursleys and Marge were all distracted, which meant that so far none of them had noticed that Harry's eyes had finally turned blue, and that he no longer wore his glasses. Although, to be honest, Harry wasn't sure they would have noticed anyway. Harry had been spending a lot of his time in the park to avoid hearing more about the Avengers and the attack. It was also the first place he had met Loki, and the place where they had continued to meet over the month and half of their acquaintance. A part of him almost hoped that Loki would show up and declare that it had all been some big misunderstanding. It would figure that Harry would get his parents back only for that parent to turn out to be an evil mastermind. He was tempted to call Jormungandr. Maybe his brother would know more about what had happened with Loki, and why he done this. But he was hesitant because it wasn't really an emergency.

It was while he was sitting on a swing in the park that a familiar face entered the park. Not the familiar face he had been hoping for. Harry watched with trepidation as a man with short dark blonde hair approached him. He had only seen him a few times from a distance when Loki had visited him. When he asked Loki had waved off his question by giving him a brief explanation that the man was a friend. To be honest Harry hadn't given him a lot of thought. He'd been too focused on getting to know Loki, and learning his new form of magic to care too much about him. Had this man been in on the plot to take over the Earth as well?

"Hello," the man greeted as he came to a stop beside Harry's swing.

"Hi," Harry replied uncertainly.

"I'm Clint, I don't think your dad ever introduced the two of us properly," he stuck out his hand to Harry.

Harry didn't return the gesture. Uncertain about what this man wanted. Loki had been imprisoned, and was slated to be brought back to Asgard for punishment. Why would his associate want to speak to Harry? He knew he was Loki's son at the very least. "I'm Harry. Are you here because of my… er dad?"

Clint withdrew his hand his open friendly expression hardening. "So you are Loki's kid."

"What?" Harry frowned.

"I wasn't sure. My memories were fuzzy but you look like him and he came to visit you so often. And then of course you just confirmed it," Clint said eyeing him critically.

"Wait, what do you mean your memories were fuzzy? You didn't know who I was? I thought Loki said you were his friend?" Harry was growing wary about just what this man's intentions were.

Clint snorted. "Oh, we're definitely not friends. You could say I was more of an unwilling minion thanks to his mind control mojo."

Harry tensed on his swing and prepared to flee. Was this man out for revenge against Loki, and decided to use Harry to get it? But something suddenly clicked in Harry's mind. He recognized this man from somewhere else. Clint bore a striking resemblance to Hawkeye, the archer in the Avengers. There were many close ups of the man's face because he wasn't highlighted as often as say Iron Man or Thor were but Harry was certain that it was him.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" Harry questioned.

"I need you to come with me," Clint stated firmly.

"Why?" Harry couldn't help but be curious. From the news the Avengers were the good guys. Would they want to prosecute him just because Loki was the bad guy in this situation? Did they think he'd known something about the attack?

"We don't want to hurt you, we just want to ask you some questions, kid," Clint assured.

"Whose we?"

"You're a paranoid little shit, aren't you?" Clint questioned with a chuckle.

"Just being careful especially considering you just admitted to hating Loki," Harry replied.

"Smart. We, is the Avengers and SHIELD. The Avengers you've probably heard about unless you've been living under a rock the past week. While SHIELD is an organization that protects the world from strange anomalies like the little stunt your old man pulled. We want to know how much you know about Loki, what your relationship is with him, and why he came to visit you so often. We already know the relationship part but we'd like to know the how you came to be part," Clint said.

"Do I have a choice?" Harry asked.

"Not really. This is us asking nicely. If you cooperate we'll return you home after we're through, if not… well I think you've seen the power we've got backing us," Clint hinted.

"Fine, I'll go," Harry agreed.

Loki hadn't been able to defeat the Avengers with an entire alien army. Harry certainly wouldn't be up to the task all on his own. He could fight but he would still end up being dragged away anyway. Besides Harry might be able to learn some valuable information that just might help him understand just what Loki had done. He could call for Jormungandr. But then again calling his brother would just bring him to the attention of the Avengers and these SHIELD people, and without his magic his brother was a lot more vulnerable. Not as weak as a normal human but he certainly wouldn't be able to stand up to all the Avengers just like Loki hadn't been able to.

"Great, we'll just inform your guardians that you'll be gone for a little while," Clint said.

"Don't bother, I doubt they'll even notice I'm gone," Harry said with a roll of his eyes.

Clint frowned but shrugged. "All right if you insist, follow me kid."

Taking a deep breath Harry did just that. Clint led him to a nondescript black SUV with several people in suits and sunglasses waiting inside. Harry was forced to sit in the middle between Clint and one of the other men. This man wasn't wearing a suit, instead he wore a brown leather jacket, and he was looking straight ahead so that Harry could only glimpse his strong jaw and chin. There was complete silence in the car as they started driving.

"Where are we going exactly?" Harry asked.

"To a secure SHIELD base," Clint answered curtly.

Harry decided Clint wasn't really interested in having a conversation with him, and so he kept his mouth shut. They stopped the SUV when they reached a runway, and a waiting jet. Nerves consumed Harry. He'd never even seen a jet in person before, let alone ridden in one. He couldn't believe he was about to just hop in one and take off to parts unknown. But then again how was this any different from the time he had just gone off with Hagrid to Diagon Alley? At least he'd seen Clint before and knew that the man belonged to a group who was dedicated to protecting the world.

Clint and the man on the other side of Harry were the only ones who got out of the SUV. Harry got a closer look at the other man's face and realized he recognized him. It was Steve Rogers, Captain America himself. Harry didn't quite know what to make of such an escort. The Captain kept sending quick glances in Harry's direction as if he was a bomb that was about to go off. The two Avengers escorted Harry onto the jet. Clint helped Harry put on his safety straps before sitting down beside him. One of the pilots also had a familiar face. It was the only female member of the Avengers, the Black Widow. They were really taking this seriously, and Harry couldn't help but feel like some sort of dangerous criminal.

Again there was silence in the jet as they flew to their location. Harry fidgeted nervously in his seat and wondered what was going to happen when they got to their destination. Would Thor be there? Would Loki? Harry wasn't sure if he was ready to see both of them especially together. What would the wizarding world do once they realized he had gone off with SHIELD? Unless he made it back before they even noticed he was gone. That would certainly be the best scenario. Of course how was he going to face them all once school started knowing what he now did about himself?

"We're here, kid," Clint said waving a hand in front of his face to snap him out of his thoughts.

Harry was so distracted he hadn't even noticed, and he stood without thinking. The jet's safety belts snapped and ripped off him as if they were tissue paper. He had forgotten to unhook the belts, and they weren't able to withstand Harry's newly developed strength.

"Oops, I'm sorry," Harry flushed as he fumbled with the broken belt straps. He tried to put them back together but ended up making a bigger mess of things.

Clint, the Captain, and the Black Widow were left staring at him with varying expressions of surprise and amusement.

"It's fine, just leave it," the Black Widow commanded before striding out of the jet.

"Right, okay," Harry dropped them in the seat and followed.

Captain America and Clint fell in at his sides once more. It was only when they got outside that Harry realized that they hadn't landed somewhere on the ground. The base they had arrived at was some sort of huge hovercraft that flew high up in the clouds. There were four great turbine fans ensuring that the massive station stayed aloft. It was utterly incredible that such a massive ship was able to stay in the air without the aid of some type of magic. Harry's head was swiveling back and forth as he worked to catch sight of all the activity on the large aerial runway. All of the workers on the runway stopped to watch as the four of them passed, and Harry couldn't help but feel like they were staring at him.

The three Avengers ushered him into the interior of the base awing Harry further by the sheer size of the flying craft. He hadn't even known that muggles were capable of such feats. After walking through a maze of corridors the four of them entered a secure conference room. There were six other people waiting for them. A tall black man dressed in all black leather with an eye-patch stood in front of the others giving Harry a hard piercing stare. Behind him sitting at a table Harry recognized Tony Stark himself sitting and whispering with a curly haired man with glasses wearing a yellow shirt. A woman with dark hair and a blue form-fitting suit stood off to the side of the eye-patch man. On his other side was a giant blonde man Harry knew only too well. Harry's anxiety ratcheted up several notches at being in the same room as his father for the first time.

Harry's gaze was soon pulled from Thor to the person in the glass cell in the very back of the room. His hands were chained to the floor and the lower half of his face was covered in a black muzzle. It killed Harry to see Loki shackled like that. What was more there were cuts and bruises that lined his face, and he looked a little worse for wear. Despite the fact that Loki had gotten himself into this situation Harry still wanted nothing more than to go and free him. Loki's eyes widened when he saw Harry enter with the other Avengers, and clear panic was written all over his face before he managed to conceal it away. The look of panic was not lost to others in the room either.

Harry hadn't realized he had taken a step towards Loki until a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked up to see Captain America looking back at him. His blue eyes were kind but held a warning.

"So you're Loki's offspring?" the man with eye-patch drawled.

Harry's gaze snapped back to him. He was clearly the one in charge of this operation.

"Yes," Harry replied proudly. Loki may have tried to take over the world but it didn't stop the fact that he had given his life for Harry's.

"I can see it," the eye-patch man said disparagingly.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded.

"Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD. Who are you?" Director Fury countered.

"Harek Potter," Harry said.

"Harek? As if it wasn't bad enough that Reindeer Games over there was your father. You get stuck with a name like that, yeesh. What were you thinking giving the poor kid a name like that?" Tony Stark questioned throwing a smirk Loki's way that had Loki glaring back.

"Stark," Fury snapped.

"What?" Tony flashed an innocent smirk.

"I really don't need your input on this matter, Stark," Fury snapped.

"What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here?" Harry asked bringing the attention back towards him. He was on his own here, and he needed to step up and speak up for himself. There were so many instances that he had allowed others to speak for him. It was time that he learned how to stand on his own two feet without anyone else to help him.

"We need to ask you some questions, Harek, before we can let you go home. So why don't you take a seat. Make yourself comfortable," Fury waved him towards the round conference table with the chairs. Tony patted the chair beside him in welcome.

Harry stayed where he was. He didn't like the way this man was just ordering him around, and if there was one thing Harry was good at it was disobeying orders.

"Kid, this isn't a game, and I really don't think you want me to make you sit," Fury warned.

Harry felt a helpless rage settle within him as he stiffly seated himself across from Tony with a direct view of Loki. Loki's emerald green eyes caught his blue. They were just as warm and full of caring as they had always been. Harry felt a sense of warmth and safety flow over him even knowing just how dangerous Loki was. It reminded him of the pictures he had treasured of Lily. The face may have been different but the eyes were still the same warm, loving emerald green.

Harry turned to glare at Fury, waiting for him to start asking whatever questions he had to ask. He would have to pick his battles carefully, and whether or not he sat down was a rather minor one. He was willing to follow along for the moment.

"That's better. Now, first and foremost how do you exist? Thor here told us that Loki hasn't been on Earth in centuries. So you're existence should be impossible," Fury stated.

Harry's gaze flicked to Loki's. He gave a minute nod of his head. Harry found himself repeating the bizarre story that Loki had told him. However, Harry kept Thor's and the wizarding world's involvement out of it. He wasn't about to reveal his true parentage to a room full of strangers. Thor didn't deserve to find out that way, and Harry wasn't ready to deal with it quite yet. Harry didn't mention the wizarding world in fear that he might be breaking the wizard Statute of Secrecy. Of course considering the company he was in, he couldn't be sure if they already knew about them. He substituted Voldemort for terrorists and made sure they knew what a big sacrifice Loki had made for Harry. Although, at this point he wasn't really quite sure why he was sticking up for Loki.

When he was finished everyone was staring at him in stunned silence.

Tony Stark was the one to break that silence as he burst into a fit of chuckles. "Let me get this straight, Mr. Kneel Before Me is actually Mrs. Kneel Before Me?"

Loki sent Tony a death glare. The billionaire didn't seem too phased by it.

"Not exactly…" Harry trailed off uncomfortably.

"My brother is a shape shifter, which includes changing his gender. Such tricks often got him in a great deal trouble with Father. It is very possible that Loki is his mother. He would be the second child that Loki has given birth to," Thor cut in.

"Wait, are you talking about the Norse Myth about the eight legged horse?" questioned the man in the yellow shirt and glasses.

Thor nodded, and Harry perked up. Jormungandr had told him quite a bit about their brothers and sister. But he was always eager to hear more. Even if they were considered monsters in mythology and to Asgardians they were still Harry's siblings, and Loki's children. It had been obvious to Harry that Loki loved all his children a great deal, and hated that he had allowed them to be taken from him. Loki said he wanted to change that, and rebuild his relationships with his children. Harry had been interested as well. He'd always wanted a family and he now had a large, pre-made one waiting for him.

"His name is Sleipnir. He is Loki's oldest child," Thor explained.

"But he's a horse," Tony stated blankly.

"Yes, but an intelligent one. On par with any mortal or Aesir. He has eight legs and is the fastest steed in the nine realms," Thor agreed.

"But he's a horse and his father was horse and Rock of Ages gave _birth_ to him?" Tony stated incredulously.

"As I said my brother is a shape shifter. He is capable of taking female form or the forms of animals, and sometimes both. He took the form of a mare to lure away Svadilfari, a stallion who was being used by a giant to help him trick Asgard, and it had unforeseen consequences," Thor stated looking regretful at remembering the occurrence.

"Just when you thought the world couldn't any weirder," Clint muttered.

"Whose your father then?" Fury cried in exasperation.

Harry glanced to Loki in a panic. He definitely hadn't inherited Loki's penchant for lying. In fact he was terrible at it, and had a good idea that this man would sniff him out in a moment. Loki's gaze was beseeching. Harry knew that he didn't want Thor to find out. Considering the terrible state of their relationship Harry could understand. Harry couldn't help but want to protect Loki, and if he wanted to keep it a secret Harry supposed he could try and go along with it.

"James Potter," Harry answered hoping he sounded half convincing. It should be considering the fact that he had believed it was the truth for most of his life.

They seemed to take in this information without any skepticism. Or at least not anything that Harry noticed.

"Were you aware of the impending alien invasion?" Fury demanded his gaze practically burning a hole through him.

"No," Harry said firmly staring him in the eyes…Er eye.

Again the man seemed to believe him, and accepted his answer. After that it was a blur of questions about where he had grown up, how long he had known about Loki, and a lot questions revolved around what sorts of abilities he possessed. Harry refused to speak about his abilities partly because he didn't quite know himself, and because it wasn't any of their business. Fury didn't like it but in this matter Harry refused to budge. The magic lessons with Loki were never brought up either. The last thing he needed was them knowing that Loki had been training him in magic. He reasoned that keeping his abilities a secret would allow him a measure of surprise should he need to escape at some point. He saw no reason to lie about the Dursleys or about how long he had known Loki. Once he was through Fury demanded he be taken for a physical examination.

"Why? I answered your questions, can't I just go back to my relatives now?" Harry glared at the Director.

"We must make sure that you are healthy, nephew. The children of immortals and mortals can sometimes experience complications. I would take you back to Asgard to have you checked but Loki has insisted that you remain on Midgard, and I will try to respect his wishes in this regard. My friends are going to do their best to check and ensure that nothing is wrong," Thor explained gently.

"I'm fine. I've survived this long," Harry replied nervously.

If they did check him over Harry was fairly certain that they would be capable of figuring out that he was lying. After all he wasn't half human, and Harry figured that it would pretty obvious if they did any blood tests. What if they found out that Thor was really his biological father? That was a situation that Harry wasn't sure he was ready to deal with just yet.

"It's just a check up kid, we aren't going to experiment on you. Your uncle here wouldn't dare let us no matter how much the SHIELD council would love to get their hands on you," Tony pointed out causing Loki to look even more furious than before, and maybe just a tad bit frightened. His green gaze flickered to Thor.

"No one will touch my nephew," Thor rumbled. Loki's tense frame visibly relaxed. Trusting Thor's word to keep Harry safe. Harry couldn't help but feel a little thrill that Thor was so willing to protect him even without knowing just how close their connection actually was.

Harry knew that avoiding this check up wouldn't be an option. Just as coming here hadn't been an option.

"Fine," Harry sighed in defeat. "But if I do this I want to be able to talk to my mother after."

Tony giggled. Everyone stared at him. The man in the yellow shirt gave a long-suffering sigh, and took his glasses off so he could pinch the bridge of his nose.

"What? Okay, I'm sorry. I just can't help it. Loki is a mother. _He's_ a mother."

"So we've heard. Repeatedly," the dark haired woman said dryly.

Harry turned his gaze to Fury. The two of them stared at one another, neither of them willing to back down.

"Fine," the director snapped. He looked extraordinarily displeased. It reminded him a bit of the way that Snape looked at him so it didn't really bother him that much. Harry was immune to those sorts of looks.

The man in the glasses and yellow shirt stood. "I'm Dr. Bruce Banner, I'm going to be the one to give you your check up. It's nice to meet you, Harek."

"Nice to meet you too, Dr. Banner," Harry replied standing up as well and realizing that he was nearly as tall as the man.

Harry felt instantly at ease with the doctor. Dr. Banner exuded a center of calm that Harry had never sensed from anyone else before. Dr. Banner was friendly and chatted with him about nonsensical things as he led Harry over to the side of the room where a little examination table had been set up.

"We're just going to do a quick check up. Height, weight nothing you wouldn't do on a normal visit to the doctor's. We're also going to take a small sample of blood to analyze further, okay?"

"Okay," Harry agreed. They were doing this to try and make sure that Harry was healthy because most half humans weren't. The only way to stop them was to admit to not being half human. Either way it would reveal the truth. At least with them taking a blood sample it would delay the inevitable a bit longer.

"All right first things first, step right up on the scale," Dr. Banner indicated the industrial sized one on the floor.

Harry had never actually been to the doctor's before, and so the process of the examination was a new one to him. Harry watched as the numbers of the scale continued to rise past what he knew should have been acceptable for someone of his height, and lean build. He knew that not even Dudley weighed that much despite his impressive girth.

"You're about 5'10", and you weigh 468 pounds," Dr. Banner informed him looking a bit dumfounded. "Wait, Thor can you come over here for a second?"

The large blonde walked over, and Dr. Banner asked him to step on the scale.

"Okay, well that makes sense then. Thor is about 6'6" and he weighs 642 pounds," Dr. Banner announced.

"You need to lay off the pop tarts big guy," Tony joked.

Thor looked confused and saddened by the thought of not being able to eat pop tarts.

"Asgardians must be physically denser, which would account for their stronger durability, and physical strength," Dr. Banner theorized. "I wouldn't have expected Harek to have inherited that much of an Asgardian durability."

"Loki is a Jotun, perhaps that is why? They are larger and physically stronger creatures," Thor explained.

"That would make sense. We'll look into it more later. For now let's just continue with the exam." Dr. Banner suggested and proceeded to check his ears, throat, blood pressure, heart, lungs, and various reflexes.

Finally he produced a needle, a needle made of a newly discovered metal. It was one of the strongest metals on Earth, and was capable of breaking the skin of an Asgardian. Harry watched as the needle pierced his skin and withdrew a small vial of his blood.

"Thank you, Harek, you did a great job. I wish all of my patients were as easy to work with as you. We'll just run this through a couple of tests, and then we'll go from there. Maybe we'll do an MRI and full a body scan later on to check for any abnormalities in your organs or skeletal structure," Dr. Banner assured him. He wiped off the small pinprick of blood that had formed and moved to place a plaster on it. But the small hole had already sealed itself shut.

"Accelerated healing," Dr. Banner mumbled and made a note of it on his chart. Harry could hardly be bothered to notice. He was too focused on the upcoming confrontation with Loki.

"Can I speak to Loki now? Alone?" Harry requested.

"You can't be alone with him. I wasn't born yesterday, and though you didn't have any part in the attack it doesn't mean you wouldn't help him out now. We're not going to risk you letting him escape," Fury replied firmly.

"I will remain in the room to ensure that nothing happens, and so that Harek has some measure of privacy in speaking with Loki," Thor offered.

"Fine, but if his ass gets out," Fury warned pointing a finger at Loki. "It's on your head."

"Of course," Thor agreed easily.

Fury sighed. "Get over here, kid." Fury motioned him towards the cage door.

Harry eagerly walked to his side. Everyone else reluctantly filed out of the room. Fury hit a button on the panel by the door and pulled out a key from his pocket. He placed the key in the lock and turned it. The glass door slid open. Harry stepped inside and was about to ask how they were supposed to talk to one another when Loki still had his mask on. In the next instance Fury hit another button, and the mask popped off; although, his hands remained chained to the floor. After another glare for both Thor and Loki, Fury strode from the room.

"Harry," Loki said smiling softly.

"You lied to me," Harry accused. His sense of betrayal was even stronger now that he was standing face to face to Loki.

A pained expression flickered across his features. "I did not lie to you."

"No, but you weren't completely honest with me either. How are you any better than Voldemort? What you did was worse than what he did. You tried to take over the world. People died because of you. You made me care about you, and think that we would be a family. And all this time you were planning to conquer the world," Harry cried his grief pouring out of him without him being able to stop it.

"Harry," Loki said sounding truly desolate. He took a step towards him only to be brought up short by his chained hands. "If I could I would tell you everything but I cannot."

"Why not? Give me one good reason why you can't be honest with me?" Harry demanded.

"I've been bound to keep my silence," Loki said looking a bit pained as he spoke the words.

"What do you mean bound? Who bound you?" Thor interrupted. He'd slowly moved closer to the cell despite his promise to give them space.

Loki threw him a dark glare. "What part of bound to silence is difficult for you to understand? I can't tell you."

"This would mean that there is another controlling you, and that you are not responsible for your actions," Thor enthused.

"No one controls me," Loki snarled.

"Then why can't you speak, Loki? Who keeps you silent?" Thor demanded.

Loki just glared. He turned back to Harry. "What happened in New York doesn't change anything in regards to my feelings for you. You're my son and I love you. What I did was only in an effort to protect you, and your sister and brothers. All of our time spent together was real. Never for a moment doubt that I care for you. My greatest fear was that I might lose your trust over this. But I physically could not tell you."

"How was trying to destroy the world I live on protecting me?" Harry demanded.

"If I hadn't joined them they would have followed through with their plans and the attack would have been much worse. My joining them gave me a measure of control of how the attack would proceed. If I had not, you would have been killed or worse been enslaved," Loki pleaded for understanding.

"How can I trust you again?" Harry questioned forlornly.

"Give me time, and I will prove myself to you," Loki begged.

Harry wanted to forgive him so badly. Even after everything he was desperate to cling to any semblance of family that he had. Maybe Loki really did have a good reason for doing what he had. Harry could recall that Loki had mentioned working for someone when he had spoken about the task he needed to complete. Could he be telling the truth or was he just trying to get back in his good graces? Either way it was obvious that Loki cared for him. More than anyone ever had before. For this reason alone Harry was willing to give him a second chance.

"All right, I'll give you another chance," Harry agreed.

"Thank you, Harry," Loki smiled looking utterly relieved.

Harry nodded and gave a slight smile back.

"But this is the last chance," Harry warned.

"I will not disappoint you," Loki swore fervently.

Harry signaled to Thor to open the door. Once Harry stepped from the cell Thor called Fury and the other Avengers back into the room to secure Loki once more.

"Come, nephew, let us get you something to eat," Thor offered putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him towards the door so that he would have to watch them re-muzzle Loki. "You have had a long day."

Harry nodded his acceptance and chanced one last backward glance towards Loki. The chained god watched him with a bleak expression, worry in his eyes as Harry disappeared from his sight along with Thor.

* * *

**As always thanks to njchrispatrick for betaing.**


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